Blog for Joel Pettigrew, a co-instructor to EDU P&L 270.04 session for FIJI members at The Ohio State University. I have never been in a Fraternity so this should be great.
Nothing against Fox News, but
srsly now? Re: Egypt.
Thinking about citizenship immediately conjures up thoughts of community service and being an active and engaged citizen and person within the communities we belong too. For me, it is also the aspect of voting, of staying engaged in the political and social discourse of our community and nation, but only because I'm interested in politics and I don't mind getting riled up about national and international political issues (not so much state due to my constant moving, but very much for community as well only because I have contact wtih my local community daily I guess) or discussing social issues in our country for hours. I also realize that citizenship for other folks does not mean the same because their interest in discussing politics or social issues is not up there on their ranking of interests, and I can often understand why when I get stressed with when hearing opinions I find mildly misinformed (and by mildly, I mean grossly).
OK, back to my original thought line of community service and how it relates in some way to good citizenship. I'm taking a course on the administration of service learning and it has held a lot of interesting revelations about how good community service is, and it is good, but how our universities and us, as individuals, should strive for opportunities around service learning, or service that involves some legitimate, measurable learning component, typically a class for credit. The key to service learning though, that often differentiates it from community service, is the realization that the service aspect of the experience may very well only be a band-aid on the problem. This is not to say its a bad thing, because service sites need volunteers badly often, such as soup kitchens, food pantries and youth centers.
However, the key theme that I have learned from this course and got me thinking around citizenship is that great service learning opportunities takes that band-aid experience of a temporary help and informs its participants about the need to solve the problem at its source. So, in the case of a soup kitchen, the band-aid experience is serving meals to homeless community members and helping maintain the facility. However, the full experience (for both great service learning and great citizenship) should be including a serious discussion and education around the causes and facts around homelessness, dispelling myths and stereotypes, an examination of societal power structures and privilege that create homelessness, and a look at how to address or attack these problems from the get-go.
This, in the end, is what citizenship is to me, looking and working at things on both a micro and a macro level, working on applying a band-aid to help stop the temporary injury, but discovering and working to stop the source of the injury so that it may never return. It involves making your community a better place in the short term - ie going out and volunteering and cleaning up that street, or tutoring a kid in a local elementary. But it also means becoming deeply involved and discovering the underlying issues behind the problems you are addressing, as to why that street is so dirty, or why that kid needs tutoring from a stranger. It's examining the deep societal and power/privilege that causes littering or causes a gap in achievement, student learning and student support. It's making your community better now, better tomorrow, and better in the future.
We watched a documentary today in class called "The Garden" about the largest urban garden in the US, that had a lot to say about citizenship, what is the community, who determines the public good, and power and privilege. It's not a pretty picture of America today, but when you really devote yourself to great citizenship, you have to take the good with the bad as you learn more and more about your culture, your community and your country. There are things that we do good in the US and in this community, but there are some glaring problems, that often, we just want to gloss over. I'll leave the trailer here and hope that you take an hour and half outta your weekend this quarter to check out the full documentary.
It's not good to just gloss over. If we want change, we have to get down and dirty.
OK guys, I apologize for the extreme lateness of my blog this week. I was creating my Prezi for Citizenship for tomorrow's class and was all like, yeah, this will be great, and then I realized I never made a blog for this past week. Sorry… welp, I guess it's a good thing that I'm not actually a student in class! Hah, amiright!? *That's not an excuse.*
What does my ritual mean to me and how do I show congruence and commitment to it?
Congruence.
OK guys, so I had to get a semi-vocabulary lesson from Josh the other day when discussing this blog, and honestly, I still don't have the best clue as to how ritual would apply to me, because I understand there is a lot of tradition and 'secrecy' behind ritual for Fraternity Life, and so it is something I have never experienced. So, taking Josh's advice, and his example blog (I swear, this is not why I waited so long… sheesh), I'm gonna work this from the angle of maintaining congruence with my values and how I live them out.
The first value that I wrote about last week was equality, and based on the in-class activity last week and what I shared with class, a lot of what I apply my idea of equality to is sexual orientation and sexuality. It's where I have had quite a bit of involvement both as a volunteer, student organization member and student worker in a GLBT Resource Center, and have met lifelong friends and learned lifelong lessons. It also comes up a lot in my academics, because as I'm learning about student development or policy issues facing colleges today, my lens is focused on these issues of gender norms and sexual identity, and so a lot of my self-guided study and research interests are based on providing a college experience for GLBT students where they won't have to fear for their safety on campus.
Last time I checked, there were
not universities at the poles.
Along with that, and very much bringing in another value I talked about, access to education, I care very much about people getting the opportunity to go to college, and have that developmental and enriching experience, both inside and outside the classroom. One of the things that I focused on a lot in some of my international affairs stuff is the plight of international students, who, across the globe, are charged significant fees to study abroad, far more than out-of-state students. And for one simple reason, that for the most part, higher education will not deny: they are treated as cash cows. They have the spendable money, and institutions, often in financial hardship, are more than willing to charge them large fees for their time studying at the institution. Granted, there is a lot of knowledge, research, and cultural exchange that is beneficial for both cultures that comes with international students across the globe, but how fair is it that we exploit international students and charge these fees, so that only the most affluent of students can afford to study abroad, in a higher education system that is significantly better than that in their home country. So, in a lot of my work here at OSU and during my times studying abroad, I have tried to focus on improving international student experiences at their host campus, so that they are gaining the best experience possible, both inside and outside the classroom, at a fair price that is not set for institutional gain, and promotes access to an equal education around the globe.
Ok, so I realized, those are pretty pie in the sky ways of justifying my values or showing how I try to maintain congruence with them, but as these identities and topics are the most salient to me currently, that this is where this prompt, and Josh's prompts, took me.
And now… a video: courtesy of the Pac-10 bound Colorado Golden Buffaloes and South Park:
OK guys, I apologize for the extreme lateness of my blog this week. I was creating my Prezi for Citizenship for tomorrow's class and was all like, yeah, this will be great, and then I realized I never made a blog for this past week. Sorry… welp, I guess it's a good thing that I'm not actually a student in class! Hah, amiright!? *That's not an excuse.*
What does my ritual mean to me and how do I show congruence and commitment to it?
Congruence.
OK guys, so I had to get a semi-vocabulary lesson from Josh the other day when discussing this blog, and honestly, I still don't have the best clue as to how ritual would apply to me, because I understand there is a lot of tradition and 'secrecy' behind ritual for Fraternity Life, and so it is something I have never experienced. So, taking Josh's advice, and his example blog (I swear, this is not why I waited so long… sheesh), I'm gonna work this from the angle of maintaining congruence with my values and how I live them out.
The first value that I wrote about last week was equality, and based on the in-class activity last week and what I shared with class, a lot of what I apply my idea of equality to is sexual orientation and sexuality. It's where I have had quite a bit of involvement both as a volunteer, student organization member and student worker in a GLBT Resource Center, and have met lifelong friends and learned lifelong lessons. It also comes up a lot in my academics, because as I'm learning about student development or policy issues facing colleges today, my lens is focused on these issues of gender norms and sexual identity, and so a lot of my self-guided study and research interests are based on providing a college experience for GLBT students where they won't have to fear for their safety on campus.
Last time I checked, there were
not universities at the poles.
Along with that, and very much bringing in another value I talked about, access to education, I care very much about people getting the opportunity to go to college, and have that developmental and enriching experience, both inside and outside the classroom. One of the things that I focused on a lot in some of my international affairs stuff is the plight of international students, who, across the globe, are charged significant fees to study abroad, far more than out-of-state students. And for one simple reason, that for the most part, higher education will not deny: they are treated as cash cows. They have the spendable money, and institutions, often in financial hardship, are more than willing to charge them large fees for their time studying at the institution. Granted, there is a lot of knowledge, research, and cultural exchange that is beneficial for both cultures that comes with international students across the globe, but how fair is it that we exploit international students and charge these fees, so that only the most affluent of students can afford to study abroad, in a higher education system that is significantly better than that in their home country. So, in a lot of my work here at OSU and during my times studying abroad, I have tried to focus on improving international student experiences at their host campus, so that they are gaining the best experience possible, both inside and outside the classroom, at a fair price that is not set for institutional gain, and promotes access to an equal education around the globe.
Ok, so I realized, those are pretty pie in the sky ways of justifying my values or showing how I try to maintain congruence with them, but as these identities and topics are the most salient to me currently, that this is where this prompt, and Josh's prompts, took me.
And now… a video: courtesy of the Pac-10 bound Colorado Golden Buffaloes and South Park:
Equality
I went to Texas A&M University, as a budding political moderate and freshly out as gay, knowing well that A&M had one of the more conservative student bodies at a public institution in the US. While I went knowing some of my perspectives and views on situations, it was the lessons I learned at A&M that has helped me discover what I stand for a person and has helped me clarify my viewpoints and opinions on various subjects. I was very involved with diversity initiatives at A&M, something that was always hard, because unfortunately, the discourse around diversity there was very much labelled as the "stuff it down my throat" variety, rather than the method I learned about and embraced through my involvement: the importance of the individual story.
One of my favorite marketing pieces that I made while
working at the GLBT Resource Center. I did the marketing
because I was the only one who knew Photoshop!
It was through my involvement in the Memorial Student Center (one of our student unions) and the GLBT Resource Center, that equality at that time very much meant equality for my identity as a gay man. My identity was challenged multiple times throughout my time there at A&M, ranging from big things (Proposition 2, friends being verbally or physically assaulted for their sexuality, patrons at the gay bar in the next town over being assaulted) to smaller, but powerful things (statements like "that's so gay" or "no homo", being told "you haven't found the right girl yet").
I began to get really involved in ways that I could make change, serving as the Vice President for Diversity in the MSC, where I could help revisit policies to make them more inclusive or providing workshops for exec boards or whole organizations. To foster my identity as a gay man, and to help me work through all the issues and personally-held stereotypes with that, I got really involved with the GLBT Resource Center, volunteering at first but then becoming a student worker. My favorite experience with the Resource Center was serving on Guess Who's Gay? Panels, an activity geared towards breaking down stereotypes and cultural misconceptions about our community. The greatest thing about these panels, other than being a blast each time, was that every panel made positive change, because at least one audience member mentioned that a stereotype had been broken down or that they now realized they had been unconsciously advancing even subtle discrimination against the GLBT community.
I think these experiences really brought to the forefront for me the power of the individual story, and that each person deserves the opportunity to live to their fullest and to be themselves and be comfortable with that. I know that there are a lot of strong opinions out there about a lot of things, but I hope that as I continue on in my profession, I hope I can bring this passion for equality and the individual story with me, so that I can make positive change as I move along in the world.
Loyalty
This one is hard to define for me sometimes, because it manifests in so many different forms. I guess the best way I can express this value is that when I find something that I love or am passionate about, I give it 110% effort 110% of the time (omg, how corny and un-mathematical was that… sorry). Whether it is a student organization, a soccer team, or my friends, when I love something, I love it a lot and I stay loyal and try to make it better than what it was when I came in.
I guess that last part mainly applies to student organizations. I got involved with a lot of really great student organizations when I was at Texas A&M, and many of them served as my families while I went to college. Coming from Japan, I knew no one at A&M, whereas it seemed at least everyone else knew someone else from their high schools or hometowns. So, when I got involved in MSC FISH (Freshmen in Service and Hosting) during my freshman year, I fell in love with the organization, devoting all my time outside of class to the friends I made in that organization and to the organization itself. When so much else in my time at A&M was a bit unknown (changing majors, parents moving from Japan to DC, etc.) this organization offered me an outlet and I felt committed to give back. I moved into a sophomore leadership organization the next year, MSC LEAD (not an acronym… totes awk, I know) and committed myself completely again. I fell in love with the positive work these organizations were doing and when you love what you do, it is easy to be loyal to the organization and the people in it.
Loyalty also extends to the sports world for me, in particular soccer. A&M is a huge sports school, but I really found my place for sports supporting with our women's soccer team, who were really great and went to the NCAA tournament each year. This stadium was a student supporters dream, because we were able to get within like 7 or 8 feet of the opposing goalkeeper (we would sit on the north or south ends behind the goals to watch the game and give the opposing goalie a hard-time.) Two stories of my Aggie Women's Soccer Loyalty while with Aggie Arsenal (the support group me and about a dozen other guys started):
Pickles = Goals.
In order to effectively heckle the other team, you must do your research. Some teams are well-prepared, and leave no bits of information in their media guides or on their websites, and for some reason, they never responded to my creepy stranger Facebook friend requests. However, some schools, like Colorado, put all kinds of fun tidbits from the players in their media guide, like their favorite foods. Their goalie, bless her heart, stated that she loved pickles. Well, I wanted to help her out, sooooo, I brought a jar of pickles to our match against them. We went into halftime down 2-0, and so I decided to unleash the magic of the pickle, opening them as she walked up to start the second half. While I won't take full credit for this, I will take some, but we won 4-2. Yup, pickle distraction=4 goal half.
I'm a bigger guy, and it's really hot in Texas. During one of our late summer games against a smaller school, we were in the middle of scoring 9 goals, when, during one of my ever-excessive celebrations, I ripped my jeans down the front seam, effectively exposing my thighs and underwear if I did anything other than stand. Did I leave? NO! I tied my supporters scarf around my waist, covering the rip and cheered the women's on the rest of the game. BOOM! LOYALTY!
Education and Access to it
I think this pairs well with my first value of equality, but I love learning and I think it is one of the greatest enterprises that we undertake and something that we can never really escape. I loved learning, being a history major, because it opened up so much more of the world to me, as well as the past. I loved learning about history because for the first time, we weren't glossing over stuff in the interest of time… I got to take a class on a 10year period of history and so I go to really understand all that happened during these periods that changed the course of civilization or nations. However, going to graduate school, I am one of the very, very, very lucky ones in the world, as this opportunity is rarely available around the world. Even an undergraduate education, taken for granted in this country, should not be, because it is still a unique opportunity in the global picture. I think that every child should have the opportunity to learn through high school, and should not have to worry about their safety, their families well being, or other things kids should not have to deal with. I feel like this opportunity for each and every person to gain a basic education would help improve so many problems areas around the world, that it is one of our best options in fighting terrorism and poverty (I've read Three Cups of Tea lately, can you tell?). However, getting to that place is tough, but something I'm LOYALLY (see what I did there?) committed too.
If you made it this far, enjoy this cracking goal from Shunsuke Nakamura.
So, you all have signed up for one week in which you will post an additional blog entry to accompany your regularly scheduled prompted blog. I will be modeling the way for Josh and I this week, as this is my extra blog that fulfills this requirement. We want you all to write about something that has peaked your interest this week or recently, and it can take a variety of forms: a typical blog entry on some topic, a commentary on a recent news story, a poem (this would be awesome!), or some sort of thought provoking YouTube video, or something else that will give your Brothers and Josh and I an opportunity to comment and throw our two cents in.
So, I have decided to post a YouTube video that I find very interesting, and even though a couple years old, contains outdated information already. Our class relies heavily on technology, and this video touches on the changes that are rapidly happening with technology in our modern times. Are there any points or figures that stick out to you, that you may not have known or shown in a new context, took on new meaning for you? I hope to incorporate videos throughout the quarter to help solidify the teaching of some of the topics we will cover, to help provide an extra perspective, context or make it easier to grasp a concept rather than reading it. I hope that the videos or content I include, like this one, help to expand on topics and ideas we will cover, giving you a better understanding of the Social Change model and the leadership theories we are trying to bring to you. Enjoy and see ya'll in class on Tuesday!
Who are you, why did you join FIJI, and what are you thinking after reading this Blogabus in its entirety?
Hi, my name is Joel Pettigrew, I enjoy long walks on a moonlit beach, reading novels in front of a crackling fir… oh… wrong answer to who am I.
My name is Joel Pettigrew and I am a former student of Texas A&M University (we don't call them alumni, awkward, I know), where I received a Bachelors in History. I currently attend The Ohio State University as a Masters student and am studying Higher Education and Student Affairs. My assistantship is in the Ohio Union where I work primarily with our programming board, but also with areas like Sorority and Fraternity Life (Greek Awards, teaching this class) and International Affairs. I am a Navy brat, meaning I have lived all over the United States, and have lived abroad in Japan. I lived there for three years at the end of high school and loved every second of it, including ramen, beef bowl, the rail infrastructure and the amazing stationery that country has.
I love most sports, but especially love soccer, football really, and am infatuated with the English Premier League team Aston Villa. It takes a dedicated fan to get up at 7 in the morning, make it over to Easton, and responsibly skip a pint for some coffee to watch a 1pm game over in England.
Now comes the shocker: I am not a part of FIJI. I never joined a fraternity while at A&M for a few reasons. Texas A&M has a long history as a military school, up until the 60's, and therefore, Greek Life only recently took hold at A&M. It is a strong community but is not large, especially when compared to institutions like Ohio State or Miami of Ohio, both of which blew my mind as far as Greek Life when applying for grad schools. I also joined an organization in the Memorial Student Center (one of our student unions) and did not leave the MSC all four years of college unless I was going home to sleep or going to study abroad. So, outside of class and my involvement with various organizations at the MSC, there was not much time remaining for involvement with a Fraternity.
After reviewing the Blogabus, I am very excited and nervous, because we have a long but very productive and awesome quarter ahead of us. This text and the issues it teaches to, the activities we have planned, and the whole blogging thing are so cool in my mind and I am looking forward to going on this leadership journey with ya'll. I appreciate ya'll letting me join in this quarter, and I hope you can teach me more about FIJI and what it means to you as we explore leadership and how it relates to the Fraternal movement.
